No joke. Judging by the number of books in the Inner Court's Library Pavilion, Yu Xiu felt that even if his comprehension reached ten thousand, or even twenty thousand, or higher still, there would absolutely be no problem!
"What does Elder Liao need me to do?" Yu Xiu suppressed the excitement in his heart and asked.
At this point, Elder Liao suddenly seemed to lose interest. In the end, he waved his hand. "Those are all matters from long ago. The time isn't right yet. When you enter the Four Great Passes, I'll tell you then. It won't be too late!"
"Go back!"
With that, he clasped his hands behind his back and returned to the inner room.
Watching Elder Liao's back, Yu Xiu thought he looked a little more stooped.
He thought for a moment, then didn't linger. He cupped his fists in salute before returning to his own Bamboo Cottage.
The next day, Yu Xiu didn't go to the Library Pavilion again. He simply buried himself in sword practice.
Elder Liao had told him he no longer needed to follow him in his cultivation. If he wanted to go to the Library Pavilion and read whatever he liked, he would first have to do something for Elder Liao.
He could go anyway, shamelessly, but there was no need to rush.
He had read many books in the Library Pavilion, and he hadn't yet cultivated them to perfection. Those were all things he needed to do.
In the blink of an eye, another month passed.
As before, nothing happened during that month.
Zhao Hong and the others had come to see him once, two days earlier.
Their meaning was that cultivation in the Qi Sea Realm was exceedingly difficult. Without contribution points, and without guidance from the senior brothers and sisters who practiced the same technique, their progress was far too slow. They were thinking of going down the mountain to take on a mission.
They had come to ask Yu Xiu what he thought, too.
After all, the mountain below was dangerous. Even though their aptitude wasn't bad, and the sect might look after them a little, that care would certainly be limited.
Although disciples like them could cultivate in peace in the Outer Court and Inner Court, the Qingwei Sword Sect practiced the Sword Dao.
And the Sword Dao placed the greatest importance on killing. The sect wouldn't allow disciples who buried themselves in cultivation and never weathered a storm to exist. The disciples of the Outer Court and Inner Court were exceptions.
That was because the disciples of both courts had yet to enter the Main Sect.
Only those who entered the Main Sect were true members of the Qingwei Sword Sect.
Just to enter the Main Sect, cultivation and strength alone weren't enough. They also had to go out and slay demons, and only after achieving sufficiently outstanding results could they enter the Sword Sect.
No matter how good your aptitude was, if you were a coward in front of demons, the Qingwei Sword Sect wouldn't want you.
There had never been a shortage of geniuses in this world!
But Yu Xiu kept a little something in mind.
'Zhao Hong and the others were wary before of being implicated by Fang Jiming if they traveled with me. So why have they come to ask me now that they want to go down the mountain?'
'Are they really just asking my opinion?'
Or was Fang Jiming waiting for him...
To go down the mountain together?
Yu Xiu drew in a light breath!
'Soon. It'll be soon!'
He looked at the panel.
[Returning Sun Sword Art, First Chapter: Perfected (Sword Sense +20)]... [Returning Sun Sword Art, Fifth Chapter: Perfected (Sword Sense +20)]... [Returning Sun Sword Art, Tenth Chapter: Perfected (Sword Sense +20)]... [Returning Sun Sword Art, Twentieth Chapter: Perfected (Sword Sense +20)] [Cold Aspect Sword: Perfected (Sword Sense +20)] [Night Moon Sword: Perfected (Sword Sense +20)] [Eight Steps Ascending Void: Perfected (Lightness +20)] [Seven Star Wandering Body Steps: Perfected (Lightness +20)] [Realm: Ascending Dragon, Fourth Pass; Life Spring, Ninth Level Perfection (Ready to Break Through)] [Comprehension: 909 (429+480)] [Lifespan: 16/984 (504+480)] [Sword Heart: Hidden Edge (8/500)] [Lightness: 40]
One month. Just one month.
He had perfected twenty chapters of the Returning Sun Sword Art, as well as two Life Spring Realm sword techniques, one Life Spring Realm lightness technique, and two movement techniques. Every single one had reached perfection.
As for his realm, he could break through at any time to the fourth pass of Ascending Dragon and enter the first of the Four Great Passes: the Five Viscera Realm.
Meanwhile, Zhao Hong and the others, who had entered the Inner Court at the same time as him, were still stuck at the first level of the Qi Sea Realm after nearly two months.
It was easy to imagine just how astonishing Yu Xiu's comprehension was now.
It was worth mentioning that after practicing a lightness technique and a movement technique, he had gained a new stat: "Lightness."
With 40 Lightness, he felt as though even his body had become lighter. Every casual step brought a strange sense of ease, as if the force of gravity itself had weakened around him.
'If I stack Lightness to 100, will I be able to escape gravity at will and fly through the air?'
Yu Xiu thought about it. It was probably possible.
Flying through the air was something one could do only upon reaching the second of the Four Great Passes, the Five Elements Realm. If he mastered it while still in the Qi Sea Realm, it would undoubtedly give him a huge advantage.
And his flight would be different from flight in the second pass, the Five Elements Realm. He would have comprehended a certain property and be able to fly naturally.
Flight in the second pass, the Five Elements Realm, relied on great power to force oneself into the air, consuming one's strength.
But Yu Xiu wouldn't consume any strength.
'By now, I'm probably close to invincible in the Inner Court!'
If he wanted, he could break through at any time and enter the first of the Four Great Passes: the Five Viscera Realm.
The Inner Court disciples could reach no higher than just entering the Five Viscera Realm. Those disciples were often outside slaying demons to meet the requirements for entering the Main Sect.
Among disciples who had just entered the Five Viscera Realm, Yu Xiu was confident no one could match him.
A comprehension of 909 wasn't just for show.
But it still wasn't enough. He had spent a day in the Library Pavilion before, reading ten Life Spring Realm sword techniques. Now he had perfected only two of them, and there were eight he hadn't practiced yet.
There were also ten Life Spring Realm lightness techniques and ten Life Spring Realm movement techniques. He had perfected only one of each, with nine more in each category still to perfect.
With his current comprehension, he could basically perfect a Life Spring Realm sword technique or lightness technique in less than a day.
It wouldn't be long now. Once he had perfected all of them, he could find a chance to lure Fang Jiming out and kill that bastard!
Afterward, he could start making preparations to enter the Main Sect.
There was also the matter of the Library Pavilion's Keeper, Elder Liao Jianshu. He could ask him about it, too. Yu Xiu had never forgotten the collection in the entire Library Pavilion.
Were those cultivation techniques and secret manuals?
No. They were more than ten thousand years of lifespan and comprehension beyond ten thousand. Once he got his hands on them, he'd take off like a rocket.
In the blink of an eye, another half month passed.
On this day, Zhao Hong came again, looking excited.
"Brother Yu, Senior Brother Du recently took on a mission in this commandery. According to the reports, it's only a Qi Sea Realm Shadow Demon, and a senior brother at the fourth pass of Ascending Dragon, the Life Spring Realm, will be leading the team. Are you going?"
A mission in this commandery meant they wouldn't have to travel far. They would still be beneath the Qingwei Sword Sect's mountain, which naturally meant it was safe.
A Qi Sea Realm Shadow Demon with a Life Spring Realm senior brother leading the team meant the mission wasn't difficult. Going along would practically be a free ride to earn contribution points.
No wonder Zhao Hong was so excited.
But Yu Xiu thought it over. They were inviting him along for such a good thing, so there was probably a catch. Still, he didn't care. He hadn't finished what he was doing, so he said, "You can go. I've recently gained some insight into a sword technique, and I'm at a crucial juncture."
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